The Deadly Assassin part 2

Home Forums Episodes The Fourth Doctor The Deadly Assassin part 2

This topic contains 4 replies, has 5 voices, and was last updated by  johnnybear 3 years, 3 months ago.

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #39687
    Craig @craig
    Emperor

    The Doctor has seemingly assassinated the President of the Time Lords and is captured. The assassin must be tried and executed within 48 hours.

    Held captive, the Doctor begins to convince Castellan Spandrell that he is being framed.

    He is quickly put on trial but invokes a legal technicality to avoid an instant judgement – he stands for President!

    Meanwhile the Master is determined to see the Doctor dead and the Time Lords destroyed.

    They don’t have good cop/bad cop on Gallifrey, but they do have the hot and cold technique.

    And you’ve gotta love Robert Holmes:

    Vaporisation without representation is against the Constitution.

    I’m wondering if this is quite timely, so to speak. 🙂

    My first action as President will be an amendment to Article 17. I shall see that the SNP can never gain power again.

    Remember, we’re watching this as it was first shown, one episode at a time, so NO SPOILERS for future episodes.

    The Deadly Assassin is available on DVD for only ÂŁ5.99 from the BBC:

    http://www.bbcshop.com/science-fiction/doctor-who-the-deadly-assassin-dvd/invt/bbcdvd2430

    #39697
    Anonymous @

    @craig

    Thank you for that! How wonderful. As a child, I persisted out of loyalty rather than interest as I found it lacking in ‘adventure and action’, but it certainly has that: a lot of psychological  twists and turns which are fragmented and then glued back together.

    It reminds me a lot of I Claudius! 🙂

    The opening scenes: dramatic, and on a crane, no less, are wonderfully colourful with noble and dignified senators cautiously ascending the stairs. Sadly though I was reminded of both the Village People and Priscilla Queen of the Desert!

    Also, I recall Tony Head as the Krillitane talking to the Tenth Doctor about how fusty and “pompous the old Time Lord race had become” and in their verbal interchange between the jurists and the candidate for presidency you can see that very well (also a hefty dose of tanning powder and lippy gives added dominance). Certainly, dashing Tom (in pirate like shirt and shiny knee-high boots) recognises how the TLs seem to have slipped, scientifically -perhaps due to arrogance and disinterest but after ‘managing’ the universe without much effect, in that the TLs are accustomed to winning, perhaps boredom sets in? TL nature? Human nature? A persistent problem; attention wanders, discipline erodes and the need to keep forging ahead scientifically is overlooked but the Master, a planet sized ego within himself keeps expanding and evolving.

    Lots of reminders: goggles, masks, quick takes near the end of a cliff-hanger….quite tense and appropriately frightening -at least in the last two mins! A good episode -Tom paces his lines very well, though Spandrell reminds me of the many Russians and Czechs who featured in our annual Czech-club plays in Adelaide!

    Also, you might think torture in some other more menacing or devastating form would be implemented -a mind drug for example, to obtain truth, rather than the “hot” technique employed by the KGB/FSB and witnessed in the opening scenes here.

    Still, onwards!

    Kindest, puro

    I love the sciency talk: extonic circuitry and the matrix (very relevant for series 8) but a bit baffled as to the lack of knowledge by the TLs of built- in telepathic abilities considering the present Doctor’s use of the gooey telepathic circuits in the main console -in fact it’s the high light of the season in Listen and of course brings us to Danny and 3W.

    #39753
    Whisht @whisht

    Just wanted to say I enjoyed this. Certainly far more than the Pertwee we also just watched! (just couldn’t get into the high-handed Doctor I’m afraid).

    The music here (blaring snyth pomp) as well as some of the lighting and sets, remind me of Hitchhiker’s Guide (especially the lowering ramp for some reason!).
    I can see why stories featuring the Timelords could get a tad stale, but I did like the way that a phrase The Doctor uses (“its an expression from Earth”) gets copied later by the Castellan.

    And its just dawned on me but this may be one of the few Doctor stories I can remember without companions.

    #70123
    Nightingale @nightingale

    DOCTOR: If I went in [the Matrix], I could discover where he intercepted the circuit.

    SOME DUDE: I couldn’t allow that. It’s too dangerous. The psychosomatic feedback might kill you.

    DOCTOR: I’m aware of that.

    SOME DUDE: It’s never been done.

    CASTALAN: Let him try it.

    SOME DUDE: Alright.

    SOME DUDE lies the Doctor down and pulls a device out of the Matrix for connecting to living minds, despite the fact this is dangerous and has never been done!!!

    If I’m honest… I’m a lot more forgiving of the classic series than the reboot.

    #71204
    johnnybear @johnnybear

    The Deadly Assassin is my favourite Master story and I love the flashes of hatred and even from the Doctor himself, animosity to his rotting cadaver of a once friend!

    JB

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.